Pesticide
Drift Sickens Students, Closes Elementary School
(Beyond Pesticides, June 1, 2005)
A Texas elementary school was evacuated and shut down for a week after
insecticides that were sprayed on a nearby cotton field drifted onto the
school property and sickened students and staff members. The chemicals
sprayed contained the active ingredients lambda-cyhalothrin, a synthetic
pyrethroid, and dimethoate, an organophosphate. Dozens of students
at San Carlos Elementary School were sickened by the exposure and experienced
symptoms of nausea and skin and breathing irritation. Over 550 other students
and staff members also came in contact with the chemicals, reports KGBT4
News. The Texas Department of Agriculture is currently investigating
whether the farmer who sprayed the chemicals is at fault.

Synthetic pyrethroids
such as lambda-cyhalothrin are known to cause or exacerbate asthma symptoms
and have neurotoxic and endocrine-disrupting effects. Organophosphate
pesticides such as dimethoate have been shown to cause genetic damage
that is linked to neurological disorders including attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder and Parkinson's disease. In a 1999 EPA report, dimethoate, along
with three other pesticides, was said to be responsible for 90% of pesticide
exposures reported in children under six to Poison Control Centers from
1993-1996. Dimethoate is also among four pesticides that had consistently
high rankings of responsibility for adverse symptoms, health care visits,
hospitalizations, and fatal outcomes in adults and children.

In recent years, the vulnerability of children
to the harmful effects of pesticides has attracted national attention.
EPA, the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Public Health
Association, among others, have voiced concerns about the danger that
pesticides pose to children. Children face higher risks than adults from
pesticide exposure due to their small size, tendency to place their hands
close to their face and engage in activities on or near the ground, greater
intake of air and food relative to body weight, developing organ systems,
and other unique characteristics.

The body of evidence in scientific literature shows that pesticide exposure
can adversely affect a child's neurological, respiratory, immune, and
endocrine system, even at low levels. Studies also show that children
exposed to pesticides suffer elevated rates of leukemia, brain cancer,
and soft tissue sarcoma. Because most of the symptoms of pesticide exposure,
from respiratory distress to difficulty in concentration, that are common
in school children may also have other causes, pesticide-related illnesses
often go unrecognized and unreported.
To learn more about school pesticide poisonings around the country, see
our index of poisoning
cases and see Daily
News stories.
TAKE ACTION: Buffer zones, areas where pesticide spray applications
are prohibited, can help reduce exposure from spray drift. According to
Beyond Pesticides' report "The
Schooling of State Pesticide Laws - 2002 Update," seven states
have recognized the importance of controlling drift by restricting pesticide
applications around schools. Find out what state
laws and local policies govern your school. Contact Beyond
Pesticides to learn more about ways to mitigate, detect, and protect
yourself from pesticide drift.